The Haunted Mansion: Haunted Hits

Never a conglomerate to pass up a new marketing opportunity, Disney’s first attempt at turning its popular theme park attractions into a franchise was the mega-success Pirates of the Caribbean. And if this Eddie Murphy-starring follow-up ride exploitation vehicle didn’t quite click in the same way at the box office, its song-score remains a pleasant, pop-savvy thematic tie-in. Anchored by young Mouse House star Raven’s slinky take on Stevie Wonder’s "Superstition," the prevailing mood here quickly evolves into a buoyant, back to the future cocktail of 80's R&B, backed with a chaser of good-natured new wave/alt musical humor. Morris Day infuses a cover of one-hit-wonder Rockwell’s "Somebody’s Watching Me" with his typically effusive personality, while the Barenaked Ladies give the ride/film theme song "Grim, Grinning Ghosts" a wry, jazzy send-up. The choice of originals (Oingo Boingo’s "Dead Man’s Party"; the Jackson’s "Boogie Man") and covers (the Bus Boys’ "Monster Mash") are occasionally pedestrian, if leavened by enough shrewd choices (Suzanne Vega’s smartly creepy "Tombstone"; "Man With the Hex" by Atomic Fireballs; Conti Bros. cover of "Spooky") to give the collection a distinct flavor all its own. --Jerry McCulley